Bob CollinsStop me if you’ve heard this before: baseball is a team game. Every once in awhile, the big high-priced free agent (or pitcher who forces another team to trade him because he’s going to be a free agent) will make the difference between success and failure, but not that often.
Last night, the pitcher who spurned flyover country — Johan Santana — pitched another great game for the New York Mets (7 innings pitched, 1 earned run allowed) and lost… again. He’s 0-3 this month, and has pitched better than just about any pitcher in baseball.
This makes him the best pitcher in baseball who isn’t worth what the Mets paid him. Granted, it’s not his fault that he hasn’t put the Mets over the top, but he hasn’t put the Mets over the top and it’s a bottom-line sport.
With last night’s loss, the Mets slipped one game below .500 (37-38).
The Twins, meanwhile, are 40-36, and just 1 1/2 games out of first in their division.
It’s a funny game, but Johan likely isn’t laughing.
